Profile
Sarah Bant
-
About Me:
I live in Shrewsbury and work in Wales, running Audiology clinics in Wrexham and attending meetings all over Wales, although Teams makes this much easier.
-
Read more
I have two teenage daughters, a very bouncy large rescue lurcher, and a cat that disappeared for 20 months, only reappearing after we got a very bouncy large rescue lurcher.
-
My pronouns are:
she/her
-
My Work:
I am a Clinical Scientist and work in Audiology in NHS Wales.
-
Read more
For the last 20 years I have run hearing clinics for people living with dementia or adults with learning disabilities. I test people’s hearing in ways that work best for them, and set up hearing aids and/or work out how to help them manage any problems they have hearing in their lives. The part I love best is working out the challenges with people, and together figuring out ways to solve them.
In 2021, I took a new job as lead for Healthcare Science Transformation for NHS Wales. This means that I not only help Audiologists but all Healthcare Scientists in NHS Wales to have great careers, again working out the challenges with them, and together figuring out ways to solve them!
-
My Typical Day:
A typical clinic day starts in the hospital at about 8.30am, checking through the clinic database for the patients booked in that day and setting up the test equipment. I test hearing by playing sounds through headphones, speakers or even tapping a cymbal while measuring the level – I’ve even been known to rustle a bag of crisps or open a can for someone very uninterested in the clinic sounds! And we help with anything from Bluetooth hearing aids, to helping family and carers to communicate well. After lunch, I might visit the wards, or drive out to care homes or people’s own homes. I finish about 5pm. It’s such a brilliant profession; I do truly love working in Audiology.
-
Read more
On the days when I am doing my transformation role, I often work from home, only sometimes going to Cardiff or other places in Wales. A home working day starts with me checking for any urgent emails while my youngest daughter eats her porridge, then I take her to school, make a large coffee, tuck my dog under his blanket and go to sit in my little upstairs office for the day. It’s just as busy as clinics in some ways, I tend to have Teams calls booked for three quarters of each day. These can be with Healthcare Scientists all over Wales, universities, Welsh Government or people in jobs like mine across the UK. I talk with them and come up with solutions together just the same as in clinic, only here the solutions might be new training needed, how to get money for a new idea, working out how many scientists work in NHS Wales (7081) and how many more are needed (lots!). I stop for lunch and feed my dog (he doesn’t get bouncy until the evening) and usually finish about 5pm, when my daughter comes back from her Nanna’s house.
-
What I'd do with the prize money:
I would find out the most fun ways to share with people about how great Healthcare Science careers are and buy equipment to take around schools and careers fairs.
-
Education:
I went to school in the Midlands and loved science experiments, especially going down to the river to collect samples, or visiting telescopes and power stations. But from the age of 10 I’d decided to be a doctor as I loved hospitals the most, and my mum worked in the NHS. I chose my A Levels by the ones I’d get the best results in, so that I’d have the best chance to get into medical school. I chose to do Maths, Chemistry and Physics A-Levels. That random decision meant that I did get into medical school but didn’t do very well as I didn’t know much biology. I swapped to Physics and Astronomy after a year just because I had the right A Levels and wanted to stay at uni… and I found that I loved it! I could just enjoy the lectures (and the brilliant experiments!) and pretty much do any career I might want afterwards. I loved the experiments so much I stayed to do a PhD in Laser Holographics.
-
Qualifications:
10 GSCEs
A Levels in Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Further Maths
MPhys (Hons) – Physics and Astronomy
PhD – Laser Physics
MSc (Hons) – Audiology
HCPC Registration – Clinical Scientist
-
Work History:
Even though I enjoyed doing the PhD, I always still had that pull back to wanting to work in a hospital with patients. There was very little information around about healthcare science careers, so I tried to go to a talk on medical physics to find out whether they ever ran clinics. The talks were running late… I walked into an Audiology talk… and it was exactly the sort of career that I was looking for!
-
Current Job:
I am a registered Clinical Scientist in Audiology working in NHS Wales. I run clinics for people living with dementia, or adults with learning disabilities.
I also have a national role as Associate Director for Healthcare Science Transformation in NHS Wales.
-
Employer:
I run clinics for the NHS Health Board in North Wales, called Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB). I mainly do clinics in Wrexham Maelor Hospital, just across the road from the rather famous football club!
My national role is based within Health Education and Improvment Wales (HEIW). HEIW is the national organisation in NHS Wales responsible for healthcare education, careers and workforce.
I love working for NHS Wales.
-
My Interview
-
What did you want to be after you left school?
A doctor
Were you ever in trouble at school?
No, I was very quiet!
If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?
I can't imagine anything other than healthcare science - I love it!
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Ash
What's your favourite food?
Italian
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
More time and more energy to do everything I'd love to do, and failing that, more coffee
Tell us a joke.
What is the most terrifying word in nuclear physics? Oops.
-